LOS ANGELES — Jared Leto has won the Academy Award for best supporting actor for his performance as an HIV-positive transgender prostitute in “Dallas Buyers Club.”

Leto, 41, returned to acting after a six-year hiatus to play the role, and had widely been expected to win the Oscar. It was his first nomination.

“To all the dreamers out there all around the world watching this tonight, in places like the Ukraine and Venezuela, I want to say, we are here, and as you struggle to make your dreams happen, to live the impossible, we’re thinking of you tonight,” Leto said, upon accepting the award.

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“And this is for the 36 million people who have lost the battle to AIDS and to those of you out there who have ever felt injustice because of who you are or who you love. I stand here in front of the world with you and for you,” he said.